Explosive engine



July 27 1926. 1,593,903

C. Y. KNIGHT EXPLOS IVE ENGINE Filed Dec. 22, 1921 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 IN V ENIOR. 'fmr/es X An/ghf ATTORNEY July 27 926.

. c. Y. K HT EXPLOSIVE EN INE 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed De 22.

ATTORNEY Patented July 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- CHARLES Y. KNIGHT, OI PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO KNIGHT-AMERICAN PATENTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 01 DELAWARE.

EXPLOSIVE Enema.

Application filed December 22, 1921. Serial Io. 524,168.

This invention relates to explosive engines and has for its general object the provision of means for cleansing and clarifying the oil mixture found in the crank case after a a eriod of use.

uch difliculty has been experienced in the use of the present low grades of asoline and in the use of kerosene as a fuel m tractors in keeping the crank case oil from deterioration due to the blowing past the piston rings of fuel in the liquid state. This happens whenever the temperature of the engine is not high enough to vaporize the fuel as at starting and for some time thereafter. Its eifect on the oil is to decrease the viscosity and render it poor as a lubricant.

The oil is further rendered unfit for use by the admixture of grit and road dust which is drawn in through the carburetor and gets by the piston rings.

The crank case mixture generally con tains also a quantity of water which has leaked in from the cooling system and which deteriorates the oil by beating up with it into an emulsion.

In addition to these impurities the crank case oil usually contains foreign bodies incident to the operation of the engine such as pieces of carbon that have broken away from the under surfaces of the pistons, bits of babbitt and other metallic particles. The use of oil so defiled results in rapid wear of the moving parts and often to stoppage of the oil conduits.

My invention which is designed to obviate the disadvantages of using such oil mixtures has for one of its objects to provide the lubrication system of an internal combustion engine with means for purifying the oil while the engine is running.

Another object is the provision of means for cleansing the lubricant without interrupting the circulation of the same.

Another object is to provide a reservoir in the circulation system which may be rapidly rotated to separate from the body of the oil both heavy and light impurities.

Another object is the provision of a trap in the circulation system which normally acts by gravity to settle the heavier particles and which may be operated at will as a centrifugal separator.

A further object is to provide a centrifugal separator having central and peripheral pockets into which the lighter and heavier impurities of the oil collect and from which they may be drained.

A still further object is the provision of a centrifugal separator which is operable at a velocity in excess of the crank shaft speed.

Another object is to rovide a method of purifying the oil whi e in circulation by progressively subjecting the circulating stream to centrifugal action at a certain point to cleanse it of its impurities.

Other objects will unfold themselves as the disclosure develops.

This invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification, and more particularly pointed out in appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of an internal combustion engine with parts of the crank case broken away disclosing elements of the lubrication system partly in section.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the engine also partly in section.

Figure 3 is a sectional View through the crank case sump and oil separator.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the separator taken on the line IV--IV of Figure 3.

Fi ure 5 is a view partly in section along the line V-V of Figure 1 showing the bell crank by which the drive means of the separator is thrown into or out of action.

In the drawings 1 represents conventionally an internal combustion engine having a crank case 2 the lower part of which is depressed at one end into a well or sump 3. The crank case is divided transversely by the oil pan 4 placed just beneath the lower ends of the connecting rods when at their lowest position. An outlet 5 from the oil pan communicates with the sump.

In the bottom of the sump 3 is the intake 7 of the engine driven oil pump 8 to which it is connected by the conduit 9. So far I have described features which are common to a great many internal combustion engin'es in which the oil is pumped up from the sump, distributed to the gears and bearings in any one of several well known ways and then runs from thelubricated parts into the oil pan 4 from which it drains through the outlet 5 into the sump 3 to be picked up again by the pump and recirculated.

On the lower wall of the sump 3 I have provided a journal box 10 having a removable cover 11 in which is located the end thrust bearing 12 for the shaft 13 which is journaled in a boss 14 on the inner side of the wall of the sump. On the shaft 13 is mounted a separator bowl 15 the upper 24 edge of which is inturned forming a flange 16. The upper end of shaft 13 is journaled in a bearing 17 mounted in a recessed boss 18 projecting from the lower side of a bracket or arm 19 which is supported by the crank case and may be an integral part thereof. The boss 18 lies in the same plane with the flange 16, the annular space between the two providing for overflow from the separator bowl. When the bowl is full the boss 18 and flange 16 are in contact with or slightly submerged beneath the surface of the liquid, the boss 18 cooperating with the bottom of the bowl to form a central closed pocket, and the flange 16 cooperates with the bottom to form a peripheral closed pocket. When the centrifugal bowl is rotated certain constituents of the oil contained therein are impelled into the peripheral pocket and certain others into the central pocket where they are more or less confined. The annular overflow opening in the top of the bowl permits the oil intermediate these pockets to continue its circulation unimpeded.

The arm 19 affords support for the end of the oil pan 4 as shown at 21 in Figure 1.

Arranged circumferentially of the interior of the bowl 15 is a flange or grid 20. The object of this is to deflect back toward the center the tide of liquid which rises near the periphery of the bowl when it is rotated thus subjecting the liquid to further centrifugal action and preventing it carrying the heavier impurities upwardly and over the edge of the flange 16.

A friction disk 22 is mounted upon the crank shaft 23 of the engine and transmits rotary motion to the small friction wheel 24 mounted upon the upper end of the ver tical shaft 13, by means of which the separator bowl is rotated. It is desirable that the bowl be driven at a speed much in excess of ordinary crank shaft speeds in order to free the oil from fine suspended matter. Therefore the drive disk 22 is made much larger than the friction wheel 24; which it engages. On the other hand it would be rapidly destructive of the device to drive it at such speed during the whole time the engine is running. For this reason I have provided for disengagement of the drive disk 22 from the friction wheel 24 when desired. The means for accomplishing this consists of a collar 26 attached to the disk 22 and having a peripheral groove therein for the reception of the ends of a yoke 27. This yoke is rigidly mounted upon a bell crank lever 25 su ported in any suitable manner upon the ame of the engine and connected with a manual control not shown. By means of-the bell crank and okethe friction disk 22 may be brought into and out of engagement with the friction wheel The lower part of the shaft 13 is hollow as clearly shown in Figure. 3 and communicates with the interior of the separator bowl by openings 28. By removing the plug 29 sediment that has collected during the use 0 the device as a gravity trap-may be drained away and gasoline or other light liquids may be drained ofl by the same passage while the device is being rotated. A scoopmouthed conduit 29 is arranged close to the periphery of the bowl and is provided with a cock 30 which may be open to carry off the heavier sludge and water which may be separated from the oil while, the device is being operated centrifugally.

As shown in Figure 1 the conduit 29' takes the form of a siphon but any other type of drainage device may be used without departing from the invention.

In operation the separator bowl normally functions as a stationary trap. It is adapted to hold a large body of relatively stagnant oil from which the denser particles gravitate to the bottom. When it is de-' sired to more thoroughly purifiy the oil the separator is put into rotation at high speed. The heavier bodies move outward and the lighter ones move toward the center from which respective positions they may be drained away.

t is contemplated that the device will be run as a centrifugal separator only occasionally and then but for a suflicient time to permit all the oil in the crank case to pass through it once or twice.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An internal combustion engine, a lubrication system therefor, a centrifugal device actuated by' the engine for separating undesirable constituents from the lubricant in said system, and means for operating said device at will.

2. An internal combustion engine, an oil reservoir therefor, means operable at will for rotating said reservoir during operation of the engine.

3. In an internal combustion engine, an oil reservoir therefor, means driven by the engine for rotating said reservoir, and means for controlling at will said driven means.

4. An internal combustion engine provided with an oil pan, a sump located below the oil pan, a trap between said oil an and sump, an outlet from said oil pan into said sump, engine actuated means for withdrawing oil from said sump and delivering it to the parts of the engine to be lubricated, and engine driven means operable at will for rotating said tra to segregate impurities from the body 0 its contents, and means to withdraw said impurities from said trap.

5. An internal combustion engine provided with an oil pan, a sump located below the oil pan, a trap between said oil pan and sump, an outlet from said oil pan into said trap, an overflow from said trap to said sump, and engine driven means op erable at will for rotating said shaft to segregate impurities from the body of its contents, and means to withdraw said impurities from said trap.

6. An internal combustion engine provided with an oil pan, a sump below said oil pan, a trap between said oil pan and sump, an outlet from said oil pan into said trap, an overflow from said trap into said sump, means for withdrawing oil from the sump and delivering it to parts of the engine to be lubricated, driving connections from the engine for rotating said trap, and clutch means for throwing said driving connections into or out of engagement.

7. In an internal combustion engine, a lubrication system therefor, centrifugal means forming part of said system adapted to withdraw both heavier-than-oil and lighter-than-oil impurities from the lubricating medium while the latter is in circulation.

8. An internal combustion engine, a lubrication system therefor, centrifugal means for segregating heavier-than-oil and lighter-- than-oil impurities from the lubricating medium while in circulation, and an outlet from said centrifugal means intermediate the central and peripheral portions respectively thereof.

9. In an internal combustion engine, an oil circulation system therefor, one element of said system being operable to cause the circulating medium while passing through said element to segregate ortions of itself into concentric zones, ba e means to impede the circulation of .those portions of said medium lying within the central and outermost zones.

10. In an internal combustion engine, an oil circulation system therefor, one element of said system being operable to cause the circulating medium while passing through said element to segregate portions of itself into concentric zones, means to impede the circulation of those portions of said medium lying within the central and outermost zones.

11. An oil circulation system for an internal combustion en ine comprising a centrifugal separator, the upper end of said I separator being closed at its central and peripheral portions and open at the intermediate portion.

12. In a liquid purification device, a trap for catching impurities from'the liquid to be purified, means for rotating said trap at intervals to segregate portions of its contents of different density.

13. In an internal combustion engine, an oil circulation system therefor, a trap through which the oil circulates driving means between said engine and trap adapted for rotating said trap, and means operable at will for rotating said trap through said driving means.

14. An internal combustion engine p ro-- vided with an oil pan, a sump below said oil pan, a trap in said sump receiving the discharge of said oil pan, an overflow from said trap into the sump, said trap being rotatable at will to separate impurities from the oil passing through it.

15. An internal combustion'engine provided with an oil pan, a sump below said oil pan, a trap in said sump receiving the discharge of said oil pan, an overflow from said trap into the sump, said trap being rotatable at will to separate impurities from the oil passing through it, and closure means for the central and peripheral portions of the top of said trap to impede the flow of the separated portions therefrom.

16. In an internal combustion engine provided with an oil circulation system, a rotary oil trap therefor, discharge passages leading from the peripheral central and intermediate portions of said trap, the intermediate passage being permanently open to the oil circulation system.

17. In an internal combustion engine, a lubrication system therefor, including a centrifugal separator, means for driving said separator from the engine at greater than crank shaft speed, and means operable at will for controlling said driving means.

18. In a liquid circulation system, a gravity trap forming an element of said system, means for rotating said trap at intervals to cause it to function as a centrifugal separator.

19. In a lubrication system for internal combustion engines, a settling basin for receiving oil fromsaid system and having an overflow communicating with said system, means operable at will to rotate said basin to centrifugally separate lighter and heavier constituents from its contents, and means for draining said settling basin.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

CHARLES Y. KNIGHT. 

